Apologies in advance for how "ranty" this post may indeed come across.
However after a severe review of my Facebook recently, particularly a cut-down en masse of all except a vert few favourite businesses I follow from appearing in my news feed (I had more businesses in my feed than I had friends!) it's making me take a more scrutinised look at the "WAHM" and hand-made movenment...
Whilst I enjoy, support and admire anyone with the skill, dedication, effort and energy to produce items for sale from their own homes - a hand on the back to anyone who does produce something unique and clever and crafty, especially when it requires passion and skill - but whilst I love the ideas of sourcing from locally made producers versus commercial manufacturers, I am starting to get bored with browsing all the WAHM pages... Firstly because there are such an overwhelming amount of them, and secondly because a staggering majority of the "unique children's clothing and home items" pages and whatnot are all selling the SAME sort of stuff... the same types of fabrics show up, in the same styles, there's been huge uproar about WAHMs "stealing" other WAHMs ideas/concepts, ripping off patterns, blatantly replicating another person's work and the like (which truth be told - it does happen - yet is so hard to moderate and police).
Anyhow the main point is I'm making is that I am starting to fall out of love with my WAHM passion... The romance I had for it is fading. Whilst I still prefer home-made over mass-produced, commercial bought goods anyday without a doubt - there's only so many korkers, necklaces made of buttons, and cut out door name-plates you can look at before they all start looking the same... The thing I used to like about WAHM made was that everyone's stuff was so different and unique! But ANYONE can buy a cut-out wooden word off ebay and paint it with cheap paint from Cheap as Chips for God's sake. How do some WAHMs have the nouse to charge upwards of $30 for something anyone can do themselves for less than $10? And how have people become so lazy that they're willing to buy them?!?
I adore that handmade is "back" and sewing is "hip" - but honestly, am I the only person who is starting to think there are just too many pages/websites/market stalls selling too much of the same stuff (yet labelling it "unique", "different" and "individual")???
I still have my very favourite WAHMs - my "go to" WAHMs whom I guess I would treat like I would a favourite shop - which I am confident I will continue to use as they offer that "something else" or extremely well-made items, or things that are really "different" or inventive/clever/individual... However if I can try and make a bit more time in my days I'd like to spend more time concentrating on creating things myself at home. One-off pieces etc. Especially focussing on upcycling / repurposing. Things I can't do myself I'll continue to source if I need to of course, but from now on I'm not buying anything WAHM unless it's first of all special and second of all, made with some heart.
I don't mean to upset, hurt or offend anyone with this post - and I hope none of my WAHM friends take it personally (you know who you are, and you know I'd always be supportive of you anyhow!) but I am just starting to think it's all a bit overwhelming. It's hard to remember when Facebook was a platform just for socialising- remember that? Back when noone bought and sold items on there? It's hard to even remember...!
Peace out... Rant over ;)
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